


There But For Grace Go I

by peabodythecat



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: AOS post season one, Angst, Phil takes care of his team, Rodney is sweet, minor character death referenced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 11:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3766267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peabodythecat/pseuds/peabodythecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an AU Stargate Atlantis/ Agents of SHIELD crossover fic set at the end of AOS S1. The team is busy rebuilding, but with Fitz still in a coma, Gemma is struggling. To help her, Coulson asks an old friend for help.<br/>----<br/>Or...did anybody else think about Grace Under Pressure when Ward chucked FitzSimmons out of the bus?</p>
            </blockquote>





	There But For Grace Go I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Taste_is_Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/gifts).



> I've barely begun writing in any fandom, let alone two at once. This is my first crossover fic. It was inspired by the incredibly fun SGA/ Marvel works by the incomparable Taste_Is_Sweet. This has a different tone, but I hope she and Squeaky approve. 
> 
> I've only watched S1 of AOS (come on Netflix...get those S2 episodes!) so if Gemma seems OOC that may be why. Or it may be because she just survived being dumped into the ocean by a formerly trusted teammate, is facing the loss of her oldest, dearest friend who confessed his love for her minutes before saving her life and she is working through some heavy shit. You be the judge. 
> 
> Finally to all of you who are following A Song For Rodney, fear not. I haven't abandoned the boys. This thing got stuck in my head and for better or worse, demanded to be written. Hopefully this demon is exorcized and I will be back to torturing McKay.  
> <3 Peabs.

\-----  
The Playground  
Location: Classified

Gemma couldn't concentrate. She was supposed to be setting up the new science lab at The Playground. It should have been one of the most exciting things she'd ever done. The opportunity to have a state of the art lab built to her exact specifications...it's what she and Fitz had dreamed about since they were kids. She should be thrilled. Fitz would want her to be happy. And even as she told her self sternly not to be foolish, to appreciate what she had; even as she reminded herself that New Shield and Agent Coulson and the team needed her to do this, she was sick inside. 

Because the truth she was thoroughly enjoying herself. She was over the moon. Every time she opened a box containing the newest electron microscope from Stark Industries or a particle strong field enhancer designed by Dr. Banner himself, she was giddy with excitement. And when she caught herself feeling like this she was immediately filled with guilt and self loathing. 

And despite all the stern talkings to she gave herself (in a voice that sounded remarkably like Fitz lecturing the first year engineers at the Academy) and all the kind words from Skye, she knew it was wrong. She knew she was wrong. It was wrong that she was here in this incredible facility while Leo lay unmoving in a strange medical facility, buried under a mountain somewhere in the American west. It was wrong that she escaped with just a case of decompression sickness and a scrape on her forehead. It was wrong that she was here alone. And maybe, perhaps, possibly she wasn't happy at all.

\---  
Coulson watched Simmons from an observation deck high above the lab. He had a clear view from up here. He could keep an eye on the labs, the communications center and the armory. He was pretty sure this would be command central, but he wanted to let the team choose their spaces first. 

He sensed May approaching before he saw or heard her. He nodded and smiled, acknowledging her presence, drawing from her quiet strength, grateful for her company. They stood together, comfortably, but silent and watched their brilliant young teammate working below. 

They watched as she unpacked a medium sized box and took out a piece of equipment that looked like the product of an unholy union between a lightening rod and an accordion. May raised an elegant eyebrow in question, but Coulson just shrugged. A moment later, the whole thing went flying across the lab, as Gemma suddenly swept the thing off the table and fled, sobbing as if her heart would break.

The two senior agents exchanged serious looks. "You were right," May said. "She's not dealing with this."

"We shouldn't be surprised, " Coulson said mildly. "It's hard to remember sometimes that Simmons has been in the field for less than a year. And all that time she's had Fitz."

"I'm keeping an eye on her," he continued. "Fury made her talk to someone before sending her home...back to us, but she's so damn smart that I don't doubt she told them exactly what they expected and needed to hear. I doubt she'll talk to any of us. Skye tried, but all she'd say was 'stubborn Brits with their stiff upper lips.'" He smiled again, sadly this time. 

May nodded, satisfied that Coulson was on top of it. She turned to leave when he spoke again.

"I've asked an old friend to come and talk to Gemma. Someone neutral, someone who will understand."

"Understand Simmons? Or understand what happened?" May asked.

Coulson smiled wryly, "Both. He'll understand both ... Only too well."  
\-----  
Atlantis  
Location: The Pegasus Galaxy

John paused in the labs doorway and just watched Rodney for a few minutes. A decade after they arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy and McKay was still as enthusiastic about every discovery as he was at the beginning. Maybe even more now. Now that he could focus on knowledge for knowledge sake and not worry about saving their skins once a week. 

Yes, he years had been good to McKay. His blue eyes sparkled. His wit and mind were as sharp as ever, and while he would never suffer fools gladly, he was kinder to his staff. His standards were still atmospherically high, but nowadays he'd convey is displeasure with a sharp look and raised eyebrows rather than a loud, public dressing down. 

John watched as McKay finished demonstrating How to Not Die when Using Ancient tech 101 to the three newbie physicists who had just arrived. He finished his lecture and made shooing motions at them.

"Go on then. You have your projects. Learn by doing. You're ready. I wouldn't let you endanger my expensive equipment if you weren't perfectly capable..." 

He finally saw John slouching in the doorway. Even after all these years, he still blushed when his husband appeared unexpectedly in the lab. He walked over, all smiles.

"Colonel Sheppard. Come to show off for the new guys?" Rodney teased. Neither of the men were much for public displays of affection, especially when on duty, but they allowed their shoulders to bump and John brushed his hand quickly down Rodney's arm. 

"Nah. That show is scheduled for this afternoon. But they are going to have to settle for Lt. Colonel Lorne's gene."

Rodney looked hard at John. "What? Has something happened?" And just like at the softness fell away. McKay was alert, prepared to hear bad news, and ready to find a solution.

"Nothing here. We've been asked to return to Earth for a few days. Since SHIELD collapsed, the SGC has been trying to fill some gaps. Mostly Intel gathering, medical support, extracting SHIELD agents who were stranded in the field, or under cover. " John took Rodney by the elbow and steered him out of the lab, back towards their quarters.

"You and I have been asked to consult with a particular team. One at could use your special brand of genius ..." He hesitated for a second. Barely a pause to catch his breath, but Rodney knew him so well that he caught the hesitation.

"Just spit it out Sheppard. I'll find out soon enough."

"It's Phil's team, Rodney. We are being assigned to help Agent Coulson."  
\--------  
Flashback... 25 years ago  
Earth, Milky Way Galaxy  
The Academy

Rodney McKay first met Phil Coulson more than 25 years ago, when they were both young students at the Academy. They were partnered on a project that was supposed to foster multidisciplinary thinking and team building. Rodney thought it was a waste of time. He wasn't going to be in the field. He was too valuable. And he certainly wasn't going to learn anything from those testosterone laden meatheads from Operations. They were only slightly less moronic than regular military. Shoot first-dick swinging -bullies the lot of them. 

And of COURSE this Phil character wouldn't want Rodney's opinion on anything. He'd just expect him to miraculously produce some tech and then fade into the background. Operations would get all the credit, all the glory. Well. THAT wasn't going to happen. No one pushed M. Rodney McKay in the corner. Well, no one could make him stay in the corner at any rate.

So it was with a glacier sized chip on his shoulder and a host of preconceived notions that Rodney met his partner, Phil Coulson. Within in a minute, those preconceptions were shattered and Rodney was well on his way to liking and actually admiring someone is own age for the first time in ... well...ever.

There was something about Coulson that just inspired trust. He was mild mannered to the point of being insipid. But then he'd laugh and say something so damn insightful that Rodney couldn't help but want to impress him. Not to show him up, but to win his approval, to do his best for him. Because he knew, somehow, on some quantum level, that Coulson would always do his best for his team...for Rodney.

They made a great team. They achieved the highest score in Academy history on the project. They began to look for reasons to work together (the result of one adventure was an early prototype of Lola) and soon caught the eye of the big shots. 

With their success, however, came a different set of problems. Naturally, in such a high stakes, competitive environment, jealousies were not uncommon. 

Phil, with his excellent people skills was savvy enough to escape the worst of it. Rodney...not so much.

Rodney had been the object of envious derision since he was 9 years old and he'd built that nuclear bomb in his parents basement. He didn't care about making friends and let his work speak for itself. Well that and he honed the art of the piercing scientific peer review which also spoke rather convincingly. But he'd never had whole teams of spies in training working against him before. And just before graduation; 2 weeks before he and Coulson would get their first real assignment together, Rodney was expelled.

Evidence had been obtained of a device, built by McKay, being used on first year students against their will. There were sworn statements (lies!) video footage (faked!) and DNA samples (planted!) There was no hearing, no chance for rebuttal. His things were boxed and he was being escorted off campus within an hour. He never had a chance to tell Phil. He was just whisked away. 

He'd been sitting in a hot, dry cell for three days when the man in Air Force blues came for him. Lt. Colonel Hammond gave him a choice: Spend the rest of his life locked in this box, or continue his work with Stargate Command. The decision was easy. He never regretted it. But he would occasionally wonder about Phil Coulson, his first real friend. 

\----  
Phil didn't learn what happened to Rodney until he attained Level 5 status and learned about the Stargate Program. He made a reason to visit Area 51. While there, he tracked down his old friend. Rodney was pleased to see Phil, and they spent a pleasant afternoon catching up. But the years had been long and hard on both men. Inter agency rivalry and hard learned habits of secrecy meant that the easy camaraderie of their student years was missing. They parted cordially, promising to keep in touch, but neither really meaning it. 

Coulson was, of course, better at remaining connected. He knew when Rodney was sent to Siberia and then the Antarctic. He'd read the SGA mission reports when they became available (months, sometimes years after the actual events) and when Atlantis re-established contact with Earth, he'd occasionally drop McKay an email. 

Until he died. 

\-----  
Present Day  
The Playground  
Location: Still Classified

Gemma stood with her team, ready to welcome Colonel John Sheppard and Dr. Rodney McKay to the facility. Her eyes widened in astonishment when they beamed down right next to the group. She'd read about Asgard technology, but had never seen the beam. Fitz would have loved it. He'd be beside himself at the chance to meet Dr. McKay, who was a bit of a legend at the Academy. The story of how he had been falsely accused of horrible things was a cautionary tale in the science department. And of course his work in wormhole stabilization was sheer genius. Leo idolized the man. She couldn't wait to tell him about... 

Stop. It. 

She'd done it again. Her mind just fell back into those comfortable habits, like Fitz was going to race into the room any second now, red faced from embarrassment and from running. He'd have gotten absorbed in an experiment and forgotten the time. But that's not where Fitz was. He was lying in a cold plastic tube, with a machine keeping him alive far, far from here. 

Luckily she came back to herself just as Agent Coulson introduced her to Colonel Sheppard (Dr. McKay, she noted absently was flapping his hands over a computer, with Skye glued to his every word.)

She shook hands with the handsome Sheppard, her scientist's mind observing the bluish scar on his neck, the tiny wrinkles around his gorgeous hazel eyes. Her hand brushed against his black wrist guard and she wondered if he'd injured his wrist long ago and of perhaps it needed extra protection now...like Fitz with his arm broken in second grade. 

She was mortified to find her eyes filling with tears. She blinked hard and looked to see if Sheppard noticed. But the tall man was standing there, looking relaxed and giving her an easy smile. Gemma was able to breathe again and returned his smile with one of her own. And for the first time since Fury pulled her from the ocean, the smile was genuine. 

And then in a sudden burst of motion, arms still waving, brain and mouth moving non stop, she was meeting Dr. Rodney McKay. Here she was having he moment Fitz had dreamed about. She bit down hard on her lip to control her cursed emotions. 

Coulson, Sheppard and May were watching he two genius scientists closely. The three were the only ones in the room who knew that McKay and Simmons had more in common that a genius level IQ. They'd both suffered great personal loss, been betrayed by someone they cared for, and had both faced certain death at the bottom of the sea...and survived. 

When the SGC had stepped up after the collapse of SHIELD, offering assistance, Coulson had demurred for the most part. He trusted Generals Landry and ONeil, but he wanted to build this his way. So he declined their help, but for two exceptions. 

The first was medical care for Agent Fitz. Leo was currently under the care of the SGCs best team of doctors, safe under Cheyenne Mountain. They'd even brought in a member of SG1, Vala Mal Doran who was able to use an alien device to heal even the most graciously injured. 

However, Vala was reluctant to use the device on Fitz. She'd explained that his physical injuries were minor and would heal beautifully, given time. The brain injury was a different thing altogether and she was reluctant to try and risk greater damage. Vala assured Coulson, however, that should Fitz show signs of declining, she would take the risk. 

The second exception was for help from Sheppard and McKay. Coulson knew both men personally and trusted them implicitly. McKay, of course, he knew from their student days. He'd come across Sheppard back in the 90s, during his time in Special Forces. Coulson and Garrett had been pinned down in enemy territory. The extraction plan had gone south and Phil thought they were screwed. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a helicopter arrived, guns blazing, and got them out. The pilot was one Captain John Sheppard, USAF.

Coulson knew what the two had gone through that first terrible year in Atlantis: cut off from Earth, limited supplies, no allies, facing a dread and powerful enemy. He knew they could advise him as he faced remarkably similar circumstances. When he broached the subject with Sheppard, the man had laughed. "Well, as long as you don't run out of coffee and chocolate pudding, McKay will consider it a vacation."

Coulson wasn't so sure about that. He also wasn't so certain that Rodney would agree to come at all. He'd taken the news of Phil's death badly. So many dear friends lost, so much death over the years and Rodney still suffered through each one. And while of course (of course!) he'd been thrilled to hear that Phil was alive (not ever questioning the reality of it all, because, hey, been brought plenty of strange shit....remember? Life in the Pegasus Galaxy!) and while he'd been thrilled, the two friends hadn't spoken or seen each other since then. Phil was worried it would be...awkward. 

But he should have known Rodney fucking McKay never did what was expected of him. The second he beamed down, he'd rushed over to Phil and given him a big hug. Then he laughed and said to Sheppard,  
"See John, what'd I tell you about those SHIELD Operations assholes. Always have to one up you. I was this close to death and ascension," he held up his fingers pinched together to indicate a fractional amount, " this close...so what does this over achiever do? He has to get stabbed by a fucking god, in the HEART of all places, died, then has the nerve to come back to life." 

He gave Coulson a disgusted look, "You win. ok? " and then he gave him another giant hug and whispered, "Don't do that ever again, you heroic idiot." And Phil felt something inside him relax for the first time since he woke up with false memories of sandy beaches and tropical drinks. 

Coulson had told Sheppard about what Simmons had gone through and was candid about his hope at Rodney might be able to reach her, to help her. He'd seen John's face go blank as he shuttered himself from the memory of Rodney lost under the sea so many years ago. He knew Rodney still suffered the occasional nightmare where he drowned before John could save him. They were infrequent, there was a large selection of bad memories to terrorize their nights, but still powerful. Sheppard promised Phil that he'd discuss it with McKay, but wouldn't make a promise. Phil understood. It had to be McKay's decision. 

\----  
The group fell onto a comfortable routine over the next few days. Rodney and Simmons, naturally, decamped immediately to the lab, where they spent long hours designing and building an optimal space. Disputes their differences in age, gender, and temperament, they worked well together. Gemma's desire to please him reminded Rodney of Miko, after she lost her pathological shyness, and McKay's obsession with "the math" reminded her of Fitz. 

Sometimes, as they worked on a particularly stubborn piece of equipment she would forget who the man at her side really was and she'd call Rodney "Fitz." Gemma would become horribly flustered at her slips, but McKay would just act offended and say something inappropriate, something so un-Fitz-like that Gemma couldn't help but laugh. And Rodney would see and make a mental note and continued to bide his time. 

Occasionally, Skye would join them. She and McKay clicked immediately. They were two snarky peas in a pod. McKay, aside from being world...correction...Galaxy class genius in astrophysics and engineering, was also a damn fine hacker. He gave Skye some tips about the NSA's firewalls and in return she showed him her newest programs...and was rewarded when McKay was practically drooling over her Trojan horse algorithm. 

The other divided their time between strategy sessions in the Ops Center and devising a recruitment and training plan. New SHIELDs biggest weakness was lack of agents. So many had either been Hydra sleeper agents, or had fallen to the same. The rest were scattered across the globe, either in hiding, or stranded with no resources to make it home quickly. 

On this front, Sheppard was invaluable. He'd made do with less and two hundred Expedition members that first year in Atlantis...and less than half of those were soldiers. 

He worked hard with Coulson to set up new training regimens, that weren't so tech and resource dependent. John and Tripp went through weapons inventory together, incorporating Ancient and Asgardian tech to streamline the weapons. John had brought some Wraith stunners back from Atlantis. Tripp was ecstatic, believing them to be a great backup to the Icer and Night-night guns. 

And with May, John flew. The two veteran pilots quickly developed a camaraderie during those few weeks at the Playground. They had a lot in common: the love of the sky, silence, and complete dedication to the team. John couldn't figure out, and he'd never ask, if May was in love with Coulson. But it was clear, even to him that she loved him and was utterly loyal to him? She'd follow him into the unknown and gladly die for him. She reminded John a bit of the way he'd felt about Elizabeth Weir. 

Despite the varied and busy days, the team plus John and Rodney would always gather together in the evenings. They all realized the importance of this shared time...even if more often than not John had to go drag McKay and Simmons out of he lab (some things never change, he grumbled cheerfully.)

They'd gather in a room that Billy had furnished with overstuffed couches, a full bar and remarkably, a fireplace. They'd eat pizza, or MREs and open a bottle of wine, or have a few beers and chat companionably. Skye and Simmons would encourage the others to talk about old adventures. All of the shield agents begged for stories from Atlantis. 

One night, John unthinkingly mentioned Sam, Rodney's whale friend. Skye pounced on this nugget, gleefully demanding more details. John looked apologetically at Rodney, who just shrugged and said, "go ahead. You might as well tell them. After all, they know about PX -421 and the fertility ritual. It really doesn't get worse than that." 

John bumped his shoulder, "You sure, buddy?" But at Rodney's nod, he began, " Well, back in the early days, Sam saved Rodney's life..."

The group sat rapt as John told the story of the ill fated flight of Jumper Six. Of how McKay and Griffin plummeted into the cold Atlantean sea; how Griff sacrificed himself to save Rodney (John paused at that point, saying in a whisper choked with emotion how much he owed that man, who gave McKay a chance for survival). John talked about the whole science team led by Radek Zelenka working feverishly to locate the jumper; and how the Marines helped retrofit Jumper 1 with the modified wench. 

Rodney had been sitting quietly the whole time, eyes on his boots. But when John began to tell the part where he and Zelenka only had thirty minutes of shield time he got up and stood staring at the fireplace, his back to the group. Simmons couldn't take her eyes off him. 

John told how finally, with the help of the young sea monster, they honed in on the jumper...finally able to detect the emergency signal...and were able to rescue a badly injured Rodney,who despite managing to activate an emergency beacon, turn up the heat and fix the carbon dioxide scrubbers, was in danger of drowning in the flooded cabin, just in the nick of time.

Despite his best efforts, John was hoarse at the end of the story. He'd come so close to losing McKay that horrible day. He'd admitted finally to himself how really felt about the prickly scientist, but hadn't said anything to Rodney. To this day he thanked the gods, fates, ancients, whatever name you want to give the powers that be, that he had a second chance. 

Hearing something in John's voice that warned him that his husband was emotionally drained, Rodney walked back over to the love seat and plopped down next to him, bumping shoulders. He finally looked at the others. 

Skye's eyes were as round as dinner plates and she was obviously struggling to not ask a zillion questions. Coulson and May looked quietly thoughtful. They, of course, already knew the tale, having access to the classified file. Tripp looked vaguely horrified, whether it was at the thought of crashing, drowning, being crushed to death by the pressure, or being eaten by Sam the Whale, McKay couldn't say. 

Finally, he looked at Gemma. Simmons, that brave, brilliant young woman who had wriggled her way into Rodney's self described cold, cold heart, was staring right back at him. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, which through sheer stubborn willpower she refused to let fall. She looked like she was a million miles away...under a distant mountain or beneath the waves of a faraway ocean. 

Rodney brushed his lips over John's ear, whispering to him, "Get these people out of here. Don't wait up for me, this may be a long night."

John squeezed his hand and with Phil's silent approval and help, he cleared the room of everyone but Rodney and Gemma. 

\-----  
Rodney sat very still for a few minutes. Over the years, he'd gotten better at approaching skittish creatures. He watched Gemma, noted how she was bravely trying to compose herself and utterly failing. He wanted to help her, not embarrass her, so he stood up and went over to the bar. She'd been drinking ginger ale, but he poured her a scotch anyways. Leave it to Coulson, when they were operating on a shoestring, to still have the best booze. 

He took his glass back to the love seat he'd shared with John. The cushions still bore the imprint of the Colonel's body. Rodney signed and wished he were back in their shared quarter on Atlantis, with the door to the balcony open and the sea air cooling the room. He sighed. He'd changed a lot, but could still be selfish. 

He'd spent enough time with Simmons this week to know she'd detect and detest any attempts to bullshit her. Her teammates tended to treat her like she was made of spun glass, but Rodney knew she was made of sterner stuff. He slugged down the last of his whiskey and looked at her with an expression that caused Marines to quake on their boots. 

"You know Simmons, for someone who is touted as being the next Rosalind Franklin , you really are pretty fucking stupid."

She gasped and quickly slammed down her glass. 

Well that got your attention, Rodney thought smugly. "Yeah Simmons, I know you are under a lot of pressure here. And I know you were betrayed by that slug Ward. And I know your little friend is out of commission, but you know what?"

She shook her head. She wasn't screaming at him, she hadn't stalked out of the room, and she hadn't thrown anything heavy or sharp at his head...but she wasn't sobbing either. Rodney, from past experience, had been prepared for any and all combinations of the aforementioned. But oh shit. The reality was almost worse.

She was listening; looking at him with big brown eyes, like he had all the answers in the damn universe. 

Rodney sighed and softened his voice. "Listen, I know what it's like. You heard John tonight." She nodded. "Yeah, you heard him tell that story and every bit was true. But you know what he left out, don't you? You know he didn't talk about how it feels to be stuck at the bottom of the damn ocean, in a metal box, facing the possibility of either freezing to death, dying of dehydration, or drowning. And watching your best friend bleed out next to you" 

She was sobbing silently now, but he couldn't stop. "You know what it's like to feel completely helpless. That even with your big genius brain there was no way you were both making it out of there intact."

"But here's what you need to know. What you won't believe, not at first, maybe not for a long long time." He stood up and move over to Gemma. He crouched down in front of her and put both hands on her shoulders. She wiped her face and looked him right in the eyes. God the hope on her face. She was so damn young...

"Here's what you need to know. Listen up because I'm not repeating myself. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault." He gave her a little shake to make sure she heard him. She was shaking her head in negation so he shook her harder.

" Listen to me...you are so used to being the smartest person in the room, or at least part of the smartest team in the room, that you forget that sometimes you can't save the day. The good guys don't always win. Sometimes, hell, often times horrible things happen to good, innocent people. And even when you try your best there is Nothing You Can Do." 

He paused, wishing he hadn't finished his whiskey. "And to think otherwise, to bemoan the fact that the rules actually do apply to you... That is self indulgence and pure ego."

"I had to lose a dear friend before I ever learned that lesson. A woman I admired more than anyone. A woman who took a chance on me and believed in me. I had to accept the deaths of other good and brilliant people. I had to accept the cullings of entire planets. I had to come to grips with the fact that these things were out of my control and ultimately not my fault." Gemma had reached over to take his hand. To Rodney's surprise he was shaking. "And the things that were my fault...like the destruction of a solar system and the ruination of more relationships than you'd care to know about...well I accept responsibility for those. But I can only hope to do better."

And Rodney McKay, arrogant, egotistical and bad with people, gathered Gemma Simmons into his strong arms and held her while she finally wept.  
\-----  
Agent Phil Coulson was in the habit of waking in the middle of the night to walk through the compound. To make sure his team was safe. That night, as he made his rounds, he saw that McKay and Simmons still in the common room. They were sitting side by side, talking softly. McKay looked done in, but Gemma looked ...not happy. No, she wouldn't look happy until Fitz was back. But she'd lost the pinched look. She looked like herself. And as Phil continued down the dim corridor, he smiled...never under estimate Rodney fucking McKay.

The End.

\-----  
Epilogue  
John and Rodney stayed at the Playground for another two weeks before they were recalled to Atlantis. The Genii were still causing problems and Atlantis needed her military commander and chief scientist. 

They said fond farewells and promised were made (but not really kept) to stay in touch and to visit. By the time the Daedalus beamed them aboard and then back to the mountain, John and Rodney were looking forward to being back on Atlantis. 

Before they engaged the wormhole, however, Rodney told John he had to take care of something. He sped out of the control room mumbling about "promising the princess..." 

Curiosity getting the better of him, John followed Rodney to ...the infirmary. He watched silently, slouching in the doorway as Rodney located the bed holding Agent Leo Fitz. He watched as Rodney took the young mans hand and bent close. Rodney whispered into Leo's ear for a few seconds. Then he gently cupped his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips.

Rodney smiled ruefully when he saw John in the doorway. "I promise Gemma..." he started to explain, but John just bumped shoulders and steered him back towards the gate room. 

"Come on, McKay. Let's go home."  
\------


End file.
